I have finally finished uploading all of my photos from my visit to Tasmania – here is the link to the slideshow. Looking back, it was a wonderful holiday – very scenic. I think we picked the right time of year to go, as the autumn colours were stunning. I’d like to go back again around the same time next year for a longer period of time. The only think I found really disappointing was the lack of snow – apparently it snowed two days after we left!

Last weekend I went to the Adelaide Zoo, using my membership card for the first time. The weather was nice and the animals were fairly active. I managed to see the giraffes being fed and the Macaw free-flight. I also went to the new Envirodome – they have smaller creatures in there and my favourites were the chameleons and the sea horses.  The new panda exhibit was looking great. I went around the zoo twice and then afterward went shopping in the city. It’s so nice having the zoo so close to the CBD – I had an excellent day. I am thinking of repeating it next weekend, weather permitting. I also want to go to the SA Museum and the Art Gallery – I used to visit often when I was a uni student and now I haven’t been there in a long time.

Work has been very busy – we are coming to the end of another assessment period. Exams are next week, followed by report writing. 3 weeks to go until the holidays!

I have been doing a little bit of writing. I have managed to put a couple of my stories onto my phone so I can read it like an ebook – I also have the ability to write in a notebook on my phone, which I can then email. So, whenever I have a bit of spare time, I am now either reading or working on either SR, CR or J. This will also come in handy when NaNoWriMo comes around this year!

Today was our first full day in Hobart. We left our accommodation and drove to the Cadbury Factory but decided that we didn’t want to pay the $7.50 entrance fee just to enter the shop (we didn’t have time to stick around and do the tour). After that we drove to Mount Wellington, which was shrouded in cloud. We drove to the summit and spent a few minutes up in the clouds – very cold and wet… we didn’t see much, either  

Our next stop was the Cascade Brewery and I spent a while walking around the gardens. Some of the flowers they had were quite beautiful – the honey bees here are huge and much fatter than the ones at home. I want to plant some of the plants in my garden at home… the colours were stunning.

After the Brewery, we drove to Hobart and into the commercial district for lunch at Constitution Dock. I don’t eat fish, so I ate plain potato wedges with sour cream. We separated after that; Dad went to take photos, my sister went shopping on her own and mum and I went together.

Tonight we went out to dinner at the Casino. We went to a buffet restaurant. It was nice – very small but the food was lovely and the service was quite good too. Now we are back watching the football – go Port Adelaide!

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Today we drove from Cradle Mountain to Hobart. We left early and drove via Deloraine, taking the scenic trip. It was a nice drive although it seemed quite long – that said, we stopped a couple of times for morning tea and lunch. The sunshine of the previous days had changed to overcast skies – which meant wispy clouds  were drifting across the mountains and most of the water we saw was grey to reflect the sky. We also stopped at Liffey Falls which was quite spectacular – the photos are below. We have three days in Hobart now – still planning exactly what we are going to do but shopping is definitely on the agenda

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Today my family and I went on a boat cruise from Strahan to the Gordon River and return. We drove down to the docks and left the car, before boarding the boat about 8:30am. The water was very still and calm… perfect for photos.

After leaving the dock, we cruised toward Hell’s Gate and out to the ocean. On the way, I went out onto the deck of the boat – it was very cold out there and I quickly went back in to put my denim jacket and some gloves on. The next photo is one of the lighthouses just before Hell’s Gate.

We sailed out past the breakwater to the sea (the water was smooth enough for the boat to bob, but not so much I felt seasick or anything), we then turned and went back toward Sarah Island, where we disembarked for an island to take a tour. I originally wasn’t keen on doing the tour but I ended up enjoying it.

After Sarah Island, we turned toward the Gordon River. Lunch was served on the way there – it was a buffet and I ate mainly salad, with some cheese and a bread roll. Following lunch, we stopped for a heritage walk through the temperate rainforest beside the river. The walk was quite interesting – there was a fallen Huon Pine that is older than Christianity… I believe the guide said it around was well over 2000 years old.

Back in Strahan we disembarked at the sawmill and had a look around there. I was looking for some stand out, interesting shots and I loved the macro shot that this rope provided. The photo of the boat is the one we took today, the Eagle. The last photo in the next set is a large Huon Pine log that is 800-900 years old and was felled in the Dennison River in the early 1960’s.

After we had finished in Strahan, we drove to Ocean Beach for a walk along the sand, It was lovely there, with ocean spray and mist covering the beach – very magical. When I peered through the spray, I saw a lighthouse. It was close to sunset… what an end to a beautiful day.

Tomorrow we drive to Cradle Mountain.

Arrived in Tassie safely this morning about 11:20am. After renting our car, we hopped inside for the drive to the West Coast. The scenery is spectacular, although because we were in a hurry (and because there weren’t as many places to park in) we didn’t stop very much – mainly just to grab lunch and then afternoon tea. In leaving Hobart and journeying to our first destination, we saw coast, grasslands and rivers, forest, mountains and an area that is mined. We arrived after dark and had dinner. Tomorrow, we’re going on a cruise.

I am spending the Easter weekend cleaning, importing music to iTunes and eating chocolate. I went outside yesterday and took some photos in the garden – the first is one of our Chinese Lantern plants, the second is my mum’s water pump and the last is my herb garden, which is situated in an old bathtub. I used my new tripod to take the photos and I am very happy with the results so far. I have also done a little bit of writing although most of my time has been spent reading through to catch up to where I am in the editing process.

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We’ve just finished the assessment period for term 1 and are in the midst of report writing. Hopefully I will be online more after that! My birthday on Friday was great. On Saturday, Mum and I went out and took some photos at the wetlands at Salisbury and then of the horses up in the hills that I visit. Saturday night I went out for dinner with my family, my sister’s boyfriend and my friend K. On Sunday, I relaxed. I did a little bit of shopping and processed some of my photos.

I have opened up a shop at Cafepress.com to sell my photos and some of my graphic designs on clothing, homewares and the like – the link is on the right hand side. I am planning on uploading more images soon.

I still haven’t made much time from writing although my head has felt in a fog since the weekend – too much staying up late, I think. We have two and a bit weeks until the holidays and I am looking forward to the break… I just have to get through marking and reports first :p

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The week zoomed by so fast – I was at work on Monday to Wednesday and then at a conference on Thursday and Friday. The conference is part of a research program I am involved in – I took part last year and volunteered to repeat the experience again this year. Next week looks equally as busy, although I have no days out.

So far the weekend has been quiet. Our palm tree is flowering which attracted many, many bees, so I snapped some photos of that this morning and then spent some time uploading the photos from my camera to the computer. I still have to upload to Flickr but you can see a great photo on my Project 365 photoblog.

Tomorrow I will be going out for lunch with a friend, which will be nice – I haven’t caught up with her in a while. We will be going for a drive before lunch, so I will make sure to take my camera along.

I changed the theme for something a little different. I am also thinking about working on an online novel for fun… I’m still thinking through ideas. If I decide to go ahead, it’ll probably be in the fantasy genre.

• My cool little yellow car is back to normal – actually this is probably the best it has been in a while. The power windows work better and the clock is finally showing the right time.

• I had a wisdom tooth out on Thursday. Took Friday off to recover, back to work today. It’s okay, except for when I smile or raise my voice – and it’s hard not to raise your voice in a class of loud, noisy students who make me smile – and laugh – all the time.

• I found my favourite Old English Toffee ice cream in a 97% fat free variety!

• I am seriously thinking of writing an online novel. Hmmm. If I can just find an idea I like…

• I’ve just finished Season 3 of How I Met Your Mother on DVD – the fourth season is showing on TV on Monday nights now. Love it!

• I have some new photos up at my 365 day Photoblog

• I am still bummed that Coldplay aren’t coming to Adelaide this time around. I debated going to the Sydney show but there were limited seats left to the one show I could have attended.